Abstract

The PCE defined in RFC4655 is a functional entity generally confined
in the control plane to elaborate explicit optimal routes with
related costs to be installed as [G]MPLS tunnels/LSPs. The resulting
route cost(s)/metric(s) are Traffic Engineering indicators used by
the network administrator (carrier) to optimize the usage of its
network resources.
In this document a framework for the usage of PCE in cooperation with
the Network Service and Business Plane (NSBP) is proposed, along with
related PCEP extensions. The NSBP invokes this extended PCE (service
PCE) to trigger the computation of network service offers with
related price information. The price of a network connectivity
service generally depends on strategic factors, but it could also be
influenced by the amount of mobilized network resources (along the
route), the ingress/egress interfaces/PoPs, etc. Therefore, it could
be provided by an extended service-PCE as an additional route
information.
This document focuses on the extensions to the PCEP protocol in
support of the computation of route prices for intra- and inter-
domain network connectivity services. Mechanisms for elaborating and
retrieving price information in the PCE are vendor-specific and out
of the scope of this document.